Hat-felting machine



' (No Model.)

J. C. GRANT.

. HAT EELTING MAGHINE. No. 270,422. Patented Jan. 9,1883.

-%hM/M 24, gyg Z wire STATES PATENT rrrca ane's c. GRANT, or nnwnuno,NEW roan.

HAT-FELTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 270,422, dated January9, 18(3.

A pplicaiion filed October 21, 1682. (No model.)

erence being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of thisspecification, in Which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improvedapparatus as arranged for use, and Fig. 2 is-a vertical central sectionof the same upon a line passing from front to rear.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of thefigures.

The design of my invention is to enable the feltingand shrinkingot'hat-bodies to be speedily and efliciently done; and to this end saidinvention consists in the construction and combination of parts of themachine whereby the desired result is secured, substantiallyas and forthe purpose hereinafter specified.

In the annexed drawings, A and A represent four posts, which arearranged vertically and are secured in relative position by means ofanumber of cross-bars, B, the whole forming the frame of my machine.

At a suitable height above the lower end of the frame is a water-tank,G,which has the necessary transverse and longitudinal dimensions, and ateach sideis provided with atable, c, that extends from the upper edge ofsaid tank upward and outward, as shown, the inclination ofeach tablebeing such as to cause water placed is a vertical bar, D, which isprovided within its inner face with a longitudinal groove, 0?, thatreceives a lug 0r tongue which projects from the edge of a part, E. Saidpart E extends between and engages with said guidebars l),and is adaptedto be moved vertically within certain limits by means of a shaft, F,that isjonrnaled upon the upper end of said frame, and provided with acrank,f. and a pitman,G,whieh isjournaled at one end upon said crank,and at its opposite end is pivoted to said part E, the arrangement beingsuch that the rotation of said shaft will cause said partE toreciprocate vertically between and within said guide-bars. The sides ofthepartE are grooved horizontally, and have a relative downward andinward inclination, the result being a wedge shape in end elevation.

Pivoted at its upper end upon the frame of the machine, opposite to eachside of the part E, is a plate, H,\vhich corresponds in size and shapeto the like features of the contiguous grooved face of said part, andhas its inner face correspondingly grooved.

To the lower end of each plate H are secured the ends of two bolts,I,which from thence extend outward through an opening, it, inaplate, K,and upon the outer threaded end of each bolt is placed a nut, i. Betweeneach of said plates K and said plate H is a spiral spring, L, whichsurrounds said bolt I and operates to hold the lower end of said plateHwith a yielding pressure at the inner limit of its motion, whichlimitis governed by said nuti, and may be varied by turning the latterupon its bolt.

In order that the lower end of each grooved plate H. may be easily movedoutward when desired, the following-described mechanism is employed,viz: A shaft, M, is journaled upon the outside of the frame, in frontand near the vertical center of each plate, and is provided at each endwith a radial bar or handle, an. Near each end of said plate Han arm, m,projeets downward and inward from said shaft;

and is connected with said plate by means of a short arm, N, which ispivoted at its ends upon and extends between said parts. As thusarranged, by raising either of the handles m the lower end of the plateH will be moved outward, while upon liberating said handles said platewill be moved inward to its normal position by the springs L.

A double trough or pocket, 0, placed at the upper side of the'tank G,beneath and in line with the reciprocating part E, completes the device,the operation of which is as follows, viz: The hat-bodies are immersedin hot water, (con tained in the tank 0,)and when thoroughly saturatedare spread upon the tables 0 and rolled, after which each roll isinserted between the reciprocating part E and one of the grooved platesH, when by the operation of the former said hat-body is caused to rollupward and downward and to be more or less thoroughly felted. After eachroll has been sufficiently ICO manipulated it is permitted to drop intoone of ciprocating part, substantially as and for the the pockets 0,after which it is unrolled, and if not perfect is rerolled and againpassed through the machine. The yielding of the springs Lat thelowerends of the grooved plates H causes them to move outward sufliciently topermit of the downward passage of the part E, while preserving allneeded inward pressure to cause the felting operation to be thoroughlyperformed. After a hat-body has been sufficiently acted upon it may bereleased and permitted to fall into the trough O by moving the handlesin. upward,so as to draw the lower end of the grooved plate H outward.The wedge shape of the reciprocating part E causes it to exert aregularly-increasing pressure upon the hat-bodies from the commencementto the close of its downward movement, the result being a materialincrease in the quality and quantity of work over what would bepracticable were said pressure constant.

The bolts I and nuts '2' enable the inward limit of motion of thegrooved plates H to be lixed and varied, as may be necessary whenoperating upon hat-bodies having difi'erent degrees of thickness.

Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of myinventiomwhat Iclaim as new is 1. In a hat-felting machine, a vertically-reciprocatingpart having upon opposite sides grooved faces, in combination with twocontiguous plates having each a grooved face and held with a yieldingpressure toward said repurpose specified.

2. In a hatfelting machine, a vertically-reciprocating part having awedge shape verti cally, and having its faces grooved, in combinationwith contiguous bearing-surfaces which are grooved, and are held with ayielding pressure toward the grooved faces of said reciprocating part,substantially as and for the purpose shown.

8. In combination with the reciprocating grooved face part E, the platesH, having grooved inner faces, and adapted to yield and be moved outwardat theirlower ends when said reciprocating part moves downward, substairtiallv as and for the purpose set forth.

4. Thehereinbefore-described hat-felting machine, in which the frame AB, watontauk O 0, guides l) d, reciprocating part E, crank-shaft Ff,pitman Gr,grooved plates H, bolts Ii, plates K, springs L, shafts M,provided with the bandles m. and arms m, connecting-bar N, and trough 0,are combined to operate substantially as and for the purpose shown anddc scribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this20th day of October, 1852.

JAMES C. G RANT.

Witnesses:

J. C. BRUSH, HIRAM LOZIER.

